The Republic Movement (Slovak: Hnutie Republika) is an extremist[5][6][7][8] far-right[9] political party in Slovakia led by Milan Uhrík.[10][11] The party is often regarded as neo-fascist[2][12][3][13][4] despite some political experts contesting this description.[5][9]
Republic Movement Hnutie Republika | |
---|---|
Chairperson | Milan Uhrík |
Founded | 9 March 2021 |
Split from | People's Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS) |
Preceded by | Voice of the People (legal) |
Headquarters | Nitra |
Youth wing | Mladí Republikáni |
Women's wing | Ženy v Republike |
Membership (2022) | 1,044 (31. 12. 2022)[1] |
Ideology | |
Political position | |
European Parliament group | Non-Inscrits |
Colours | Red and blue |
National Council | 0 / 150 |
European Parliament | 1 / 14 |
Website | |
hnutie-republika.sk | |
Founded in March 2021 by Uhrík and other former members of the far-right neo-Nazi party People's Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS) of Marian Kotleba, the movement took over and renamed the existing party Voice of the People (Slovak: Hlas Ľudu) led by Peter Marček, which had only 50 members in 2018. Marček was later kicked out of the party.
Due to the defection of former ĽSNS representatives, the party has five seats in the National Council of the Slovak Republic. Uhrík was elected a member of the European Parliament for ĽSNS in 2019. Although the party therefore has presence in the European Parliament, it remains non-affiliated with any European Parliament group.[14]
The party was formed on 9 March 2021 by taking over and renaming an already-established political party, Voice of the People (Slovak: Hlas Ľudu).[15] Before this, the party was led by Peter Marček, and had only 50 members as of 2018.[16] Milan Uhrík became the party's new chairman. Apart from Uhrík, additional former members of the far-right neo-Nazi party ĽSNS joined the newly-renamed party. This included Milan Mazurek, Miroslav Suja, Ondrej Ďurica, and Eduard Kočiš, among others.
Marček was kicked out of the party in June 2022.[17] The party accused him of "doing his own politics" without consulting Uhrík. Marček, however, accused them of neo-Nazi tendencies and beliefs, and stated his objections were the primary reason for his firing. As of 2022, the party consists of 1,044 members.[18]
Political experts consider the party to be radically far-right extremist and right-wing populist.[5][6][9] The party is generally described as neo-fascist by some news publications,[2][3][4] but some political experts contest this description.[5][9]
The party's voter-base is highly Eurosceptic[19] and Russophilic.[20] The party's political positions are radically critical of Slovakia's membership in the EU and NATO.[5]
The party advocates for the withdrawal of Slovakia out of NATO.[21] It also advocates against sending any and all lethal military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian war, beginning after the Russian invasion.[22]
The party advocates for complete suspension of government support to all non-governmental organizations, especially ones it describes as "rainbow and Soros' organizations."[23]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the party took a staunch anti-vaccination position and advocated for COVID-19 vaccinations of children to be halted.[24]
The party takes a staunch anti-LGBT position. It voted in favor of rejecting the European Parliament’s appeal for the betterment of conditions of LGBT people in Slovakia.[25][26] It then also voted in favor of a ban on legal gender change. This bill failed, however.[27]
The party's leader, Uhrík, stated the party has the greatest amount of members in the Slovak Union of Anti-Fascist Campaigners of any party, which the organization rejected. The organization then called the party's representatives fascist in response.[2] Later, after Uhrík published a photo of him alongside the organization's president, the organization's members protested the move and called the party's members neo-Nazi, homophobic and racist.[13]
The party keeps a strong presence on social media, especially Facebook and TikTok.[28] It is known for the rampant spread of election disinformation,[29] Russian wartime propaganda,[30] and anti-vaccination rhetoric.[24][31][32]
The party was taken to court over the defamation of infectiologist Peter Sabak via their Facebook profile.[33] The party lost the case and was ordered to pay €15,000 for the immaterial damage caused, as well as offer a public apology.[34][32]
In June 2023, YouTube terminated the accounts of multiple party members and accounts associated with the party.[35]
The founding members of the party, including the leader, Uhrík, defected from the far-right neo-Nazi party ĽSNS in order to found the party.[15]
Milan Mazurek, a founding member and the party's vice-chairman, was convicted of hate speech and thus had his parliamentary seat revoked in 2019.[36] In 2016, he posted a Facebook statement asserting the Holocaust was a "lie and fairy tale".[37] The post was then investigated by the police, as Holocaust denial is outlawed in Slovakia.[37]
Ondrej Ďurica, another founding member and vice-chairman, used to be a frontman for a Slovak neo-Nazi band titled White Resistance (Slovak: Biely odpor).[38][39]
Election | Leader | Votes | % | Rank | Seats | +/– | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Milan Uhrík | 141,099 | 4.8% |
8th | 0 / 150
|
New | Extra-parliamentary |
Republika je strana zle maskovaných neonacistov a na základe Sujovho príkladu sa dá ilustrovať, že aj falošných odborníkov, ktorí školstvo po vzore Andreja Danka, Igora Matoviča či Borisa Kollára vnímajú len ako nástroj na získavanie bezcenných titulov a nie vzdelania.
Je to strana, ktorá predstavuje pokus na získanie prijateľnejšej tváre pre verejnosť, pričom si však zachováva radikálnu rétoriku a štýl, ktorý je kritický voči zakotvenej zahranično-politickej a bezpečnostno-politickej orientácii Slovenska. Strana je kritičkou súčasného systému, určite je radikálna, v hnutí sú ľudia, ktorí v minulosti preukázateľne patrili k extrémistickým štruktúram.
Aj Sujovu dnešnú stranu Republika odborníci označujú za extrémistickú, na kandidátke sú s ním napríklad neonacistický spevák Ondrej Ďurica či Milan Mazurek odsúdený za rasistické výroky.
„Neobhajujem žiadny režim, ale o tretej ríši vieme iba lži a rozprávky o 6 miliónoch a mydlách z židov. O Hitlerovi sa učia samé klamstvá," napísal na profile, ktorý neskôr zmazal. Mazureka pre status vyšetrovala aj polícia, poslanec sa obhajoval tým, že nešlo o jeho facebookový profil.
Bývalý profesionálny vojak, ktorý v mladosti spieval s neonacistickou kapelou Biely odpor.
Návrh uznesenia podal poslanec Republiky Ondrej Ďurica, ktorý bol v minulosti frontmanom neonacistickej kapely Biely odpor.